Trent Robinson's update on wife as Roosters coach breaks silence on Terrell May and Brandon Smith

Roosters coach Trent Robinson says he and wife Sandra have recovered from a gas explosion in October that left them both in hospital with minor burns. And the Chooks coach has also broken his silence on Terrell May and Brandon Smith, both of whom have been told that their NRL futures lie away from the Bondi-based club, with May joining the Wests Tigers and Smith looking for a new home after next season.

Robinson's decision to release May took the league world by shock after the prop played every game for the club and was one of their best forwards in 2024. The Samoa international hit out at the Roosters this week after revealing he was told by Robinson two days before a Test against England that he was not part of the club's plans moving forward and accused the club of leaving it until after the season to tell him so he couldn't join a top club.

Roosters assistant coach Justin Holbrook revealed this week that part of the decision centred around not wanting to hold back the development of some of the club's young forwards, such as Siua Wong (21) and Naufahu Whyte (22). And speaking on SEN radio on Thursday afternoon, Robinson elaborated further and said May's playing style did not quite fit with what the Roosters were going for.

"It's a hard one when you say to someone 'there's no future for you here' but you've played them in every game so that seems like it's a bit confusing for people," the Roosters coach said. "But we also knew some of the younger players that were coming through, we felt like we had good forward stocks. And we also felt like there was a certain style that we'd like to play in the way we attack the game that was just slightly different to the way I thought Terrell was going to develop.

"I still think he can play at the highest level, he's shown that in big games but there was also space for some of the other guys that are yet to come through and we felt like we had enough in that position to create some space... People question Terrell but he hasn't done anything wrong but it's good to see that he got a bigger contract, closer to home and there will be a fire in his belly the next couple of years."

Trent Robinson praises Brandon Smith for response

The Roosters coach also praised the attitude of injured hooker Smith, who is off contract at the end of next season but has been told the club won't extend him. The Tri Colours just agreed a four-year deal with Cowboys and Blues Origin hooker Reece Robson from 2026 and Robinson says he's the exact type of No.9 that the club has been looking for.

"When Roosters have been successful we've had really good service, defensive hooker and we felt like Reece (Robson) was at the top of that list for us," Robinson said about Robson. "He's a tough 80-minute defensive hooker but has beautiful service and a quick run, he takes on the line square when he takes off and we felt like that fitted the bill for us for the next four years."

The Roosters coach said he was impressed by how Smith took the news and revealed the Kiwi Test star was just focused on firing for the Roosters when he eventually returns from an ACL injury midway through next season. "I just told Brandon... in either late October or the first week of November and said 'look there's not going to be a contract, we're not going to offer a contract for 2026 and we're going to look for another hooker.. He was like 'I'm really focused', he was outstanding," Robinson added. "The conversation was like 'OK I understand but I can't wait to get ready to get back and get going for 2025."

Trent Robinson and wife 'OK' after gas bottle explosion

It's been an eventful off-season for Robinson, who was airlifted to hospital with his wife Sandra in late October after being burnt in a barbecue gas bottle explosion at a property in the Hunter Valley. Ambulances and a rescue helicopter attended the scene and doused the pair in cold water before transferring them to John Hunter Hospital, where they were both treated for burns to the arms and Robinson was kept for a few extra nights to monitor his lungs.

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"Yeah it was one of those simple sort of accidents that was pretty scary at the time," he recalled. "Just a gas explosion, me and my partner were burnt at the time and there was a fair bit of concern but we're OK. They're pretty scary those things, life can change in a split second but we were 2-3 weeks of burns and we were OK... nothing lasting which we're pretty lucky about but it definitely puts life into perspective when something like that happens."